When Biden travels to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi King Salman and his advisers, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Some US officials told CNN they hope MBS and Biden will have some one-on-one time as part of the meeting, although the choreography will likely be done by the Saudi hosts. The President on Thursday defended his decision to travel to Saudi Arabia and meet with MBS, who has drawn bipartisan criticism back home. He said the purpose of the trip was to advance American interests. “There are so many issues at stake that I want to make clear that we can continue to lead in the region and not create a vacuum — a vacuum that is filled by China and or Russia, against the interests of both Israel and the United States and many other countries,” Biden said. Biden said he would send a “direct message” to the Saudi leadership on Friday — “a message of peace and the tremendous opportunities that a more stable and integrated region could bring to the region and frankly to the entire world.” Although oil production is not expected to be the main topic of the meeting, US officials expect the topic to come up — there is hope that the Kingdom will commit to increasing output in the weeks following the meeting. Biden said Thursday that his reason for going to Saudi Arabia is “much broader” than oil and that he is traveling there to advance US interests. He noted that he will meet with several Middle East leaders and attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus three — Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. Biden said he has an opportunity to correct the “mistake” of “moving away from our influence in the Middle East,” another reference to the Trump administration. This story has been updated with additional information.
